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The present ERP study investigates the neural correlates of pictorial context effects on compositional-semantic processing. We examined whether the incremental processing of questions involving quantifier restriction is modulated by the reliability of pictorial information. Contexts either allowed for an unambiguous meaning evaluation at an early sentential position or were ambiguous with respect to whether a further restrictive cue could trigger later meaning revisions. Attention was either guided towards (Experiment 1) or away from (Experiment 2) the picture–question mapping. In both experiments, negative answers elicited a broadly distributed negativity opposed to affirmative answers as soon as an unambiguous truth evaluation was possible. In the presence of ambiguous context information, the truth evaluation initially remained underspecified, as an early commitment would have resulted in the risk of a semantic reanalysis. The negativity was followed by a late positivity in Experiment 1, but not in Experiment 2, suggesting that attention towards the mismatch affected semantic processing, but only at a later time window. The current results are consistent with the notion that an incremental meaning evaluation is dependent on the reliability of contextual information.

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The present paper reports on two empirical studies concerning the acquisition of possessive systems by L2 learners of Norwegian and German respectively. The first study investigates comprehension and production in written translation while the second study is a set of offline experiments testing the interpretation of possessives by both native speakers and German learners of Norwegian. Norwegian distinguishes between reflexive and irreflexive possessives, while German does not. The reflexive stem form si* is phonologically similar to German sein*, but may correspond to ihr*, a feminine or plural possessor, as well. These differences make the acquisition of Norwegian and of German as a foreign language a complex procedure of restructuring both at the phonological and the grammatical level. Results of the study indicate that the only partly overlapping forms and structural constraints on possessives in the two languages are cognitively demanding in L2 acquisition and subject to transfer effects.

Mobile image intensifier systems (C-arms) are used frequently in orthopedic and reconstructive surgery, especially in trauma and emergency settings, but image quality and radiation exposure levels may vary widely, depending on the extent of the C-arm operator's knowledge and experience. Current training programs consist mainly of theoretical instruction in C-arm operation, the physical foundations of radiography, and radiation avoidance, and are largely lacking in hands-on application. A computer-based simulation program such as that tested by the authors may be one way to improve the effectiveness of C-arm training. In computer simulations of various scenarios commonly encountered in the operating room, trainees using the virtX program interact with three-dimensional models to test their knowledge base and improve their skill levels. Radiographs showing the simulated patient anatomy and surgical implants are "reconstructed" from data computed on the basis of the trainee's positioning of models of a C-arm, patient, and table, and are displayed in real time on the desktop monitor. Trainee performance is signaled in real time by color graphics in several control panels and, on completion of the exercise, is compared in detail with the performance of an expert operator. Testing of this computer-based training program in continuing medical education courses for operating room personnel showed an improvement in the overall understanding of underlying principles of intraoperative radiography performed with a C-arm, with resultant higher image quality, lower overall radiation exposure, and greater time efficiency. Supplemental material available at http://radiographics.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/rg.313105125/-/DC1.

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